Magomed Ankalaev made the biggest jump of anyone in the year-plus history of our Sweet 16 MMA pound-for-pound rankings. Ankalaev won the UFC light heavyweight title on March 8 in Las Vegas by defeating Alex Pereira by unanimous decision, debuts in the rankings at No. 4.
Ankalaev had been previously unranked, but defeating Pereira was a huge statement. Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja dropped out with Ankalaev's entrance. Pereira dropped from No. 4 to No. 6.
Last Updated: May 13 2025 5:51 pm | Rank | Fighter | Title | Record |
|---|
| 1 | Islam Makhachev | UFC lightweight champ | 27-1 |
| 2 | Jon Jones | UFC heavyweight champion | 28-1, 1 NC |
| 3 | Ilia Topuria | Ex-UFC featherweight champ | 16-0 |
| 4 | Magomed Ankalaev | UFC light heavyweight champ | 20-1-1, 1 NC |
| 5 | Merab Dvalishvili | UFC bantamweight champion | 19-4 |
| 6 | Alex Pereira | UFC light heavyweight contender | 12-3 |
| 7 | Tom Aspinall | UFC interim heavyweight champion | 15-3 |
| 8 | Khamzat Chimaev | UFC middleweight contender | 14-0 |
| 9 | Dricus Du Plessis | UFC middleweight champ | 23-2 |
| 10 | Jack Della Maddalena | UFC welterweight champion | 18-2 |
| 11 | Francis Ngannou | PFL Super Fights heavyweight champ | 18-3 |
| 12 | Alex Volkanovski | UFC featherweight champion | 27-4 |
| 13 | Max Holloway | UFC BMF champion | 26-8 |
| 14 | Sean O'Malley | UFC bantamweight contender | 18-2, 1 NC |
| 15 | Charles Oliveira | UFC lightweight contender | 35-10, 1 NC |
| 16 | Belal Muhammad | UFC welterweight contender | 24-4, 1 NC |
